New Laptop-- ARGH!

[bhaw]

No, I am not a pirate.

So my 3 year old dropped our current laptop and broke it. It's just the screen, but the laptop is several years old, the battery is dead, and now the screen is. Probably better off getting a new one. Anyone know of any great deals out there now? I haven't done any research b/c I wasn't planning on replacing it for a while.

[pittsoccer33]

what do you need to do with it?

for one, the new line of intel processors (code named ivy bridge) is just hitting the market. that will be pushing the older line (sandy bridge) into the clearance pile.

also, there are plenty of Windows 7 pc's still in the supply chain that retailers will be keen to get rid of.

[Troy Loney]

Pay for it out of her college fund.

[mac5155]

Im debating on getting a Chromebook. If you surf the net exclusively, it might be the best option

[Pen48guins]

I also need a new laptop. Going through a divorce and she took it. I hated that macbook anyways. I'm just gonna use it for netflix, surfing and youtube. I have the desktop for gaming.

Tell me more about this chromebook

[mac5155]

Its a laptop from Google - it has a Google based OS, loads up in seconds, has all Google's features built in (gmail, youtube, etc), downloadable apps it's light (like 2.5 lbs), has awesome battery life, and its only priced around $250.

[bhaw]

our primary usage is web surfing and my wife does a lot of pictures (editing as well).

[pittsoccer33]

Netflix doesn't work on Chromebooks yet. Well, not all of them.

[shmenguin]

our primary usage is web surfing and my wife does a lot of pictures (editing as well).

need an i5 processor at least, if she's photo editing. if her image files are really large (like 24mp+ , she'll want an i7)

[Juice]

step 1: go to slickdeals.net
step 2: register account
step 3: search "laptop" in the hot deals forum
step 4: buy reasonably priced adequately powered laptop
step 5: keep away from toddler
step 6: "Thanks Juice!"

[Froggy]

Buy.com had several decent refurbished laptops for under $300 recently.

[Sarcastic]

Why are laptops so expensive anyway?

[columbia]

I saw a crapola 15" laptop at Walmart this week for $300.
They really are semi-disposable commodities, so there's no need to spend much on them.

[shmenguin]

Why are laptops so expensive anyway?

because unlike a PC, you can't build a cool laptop on your own

[pittsoccer33]

Why are laptops so expensive anyway?

miniaturizing components is expensive. why does an iphone cost $600-$800 but an ipad is half that? they try to design them to use less power and to make the batteries last longer too.

you're also sticking a 14+ inch led tv screen that uses little power onto it.

[Pitt87]

I recently bought my wife a Toshiba Portege... great little machine, solid state drive means it boots in moments, and it has plenty of go. It weighs nothing, so if you are concerned about a 'flimsy' feel, this isn't for you. If you plan to jam it in a briefcase often, this is probably the one for you.

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/158711013322414434?q=toshiba%20portege&hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&bpcl=39468505&biw=1454&bih=735&sa=X&ei=Oqq-UP__HtK_0QGsl4HQCg&ved=0CJIBEPMCMAA

[Gabe]

I recently bought my wife a Toshiba Portege... great little machine, solid state drive means it boots in moments, and it has plenty of go. It weighs nothing, so if you are concerned about a 'flimsy' feel, this isn't for you. If you plan to jam it in a briefcase often, this is probably the one for you.

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/158711013322414434?q=toshiba%20portege&hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&bpcl=39468505&biw=1454&bih=735&sa=X&ei=Oqq-UP__HtK_0QGsl4HQCg&ved=0CJIBEPMCMAA

My wife and I bought a Toshiba laptop last year, mainly because it has a 10-key pad beside the standard keyboard. At any rate, I agree about the "flimsy" feeling. It is so light that intuitively I sometimes think I'm going to break it. the laptop though has been a real workhorse and has done everything I have needed it to.

My employer provides us with laptops for our office PC's and they are almost exclusively Dells (some Lenovo's) . They are also pieces of junk. In my 7 years with the company, I'm on laptop #4 and I've had two other hard drive re-imagings due to crappy software. Unless you got a Dell really cheap, I would stay away from them as a brand.